White Oak, Hot Love
by OBSESSiON xOo
Summary: Katherine Fell is 17, living day to day under the roof of her alcoholic step-father. Moving back to her parents' hometown of Mystic Falls arouses memories Katie previously thought were unimportant. Damon/OC. Starts after 3x15, but wont follow past that.
1. Bruises and Beginnings

Hi! I've recently gotten sick of Elena breaking Damon's heart so the result was this. Please review, is the OC too typical? is anyone out of character? your suggestions will make a difference!

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><p>Katherine Fell stood hunched over the kitchen counter, sleepily bouncing a tea bag and spreading her fingers over her cheek, trying to disperse the blood forming into a bruise on her cheek. At least he missed her eye, a black eye on the first day of her new school would've sucked. She breathed in the herb smell of the tea deeply. All natural green tea leaves, she tried to eat as healthy and organic as possible. Studies showed that eating holistically decreased the risk of depression and alcoholism and she was all for taking steps against genetic and social predisposition.<p>

Moving back to Mystic Falls had been mostly her decision, to try and connect with her dead parents, but after last night she was starting to regret it. The town was much quieter then Boston and her step-father's drunken fits seemed a lot louder her. Her heart thumped painfully in her chest as she imagined the town discovering the secret of her home life. They'd whisper about the true reason behind the bruises, the way it was _so sad_ that the _poor_ seventeen year old had to provide for her step-father after all the loss she'd been through. She sighed and took a large gulp of her tea; pity was the last thing she wanted. Pity never helped her, pity didn't change the fact her father was killed in an "animal" attack when she was a year old, and pity didn't bring her mom back after her "accident." So why would pity change the fact she was stuck with her alcoholic step-father for another agonizing year?

At 7:50, Katherine grabbed her backpack, got into her beat-up, forest green 1999 Corolla and headed to the local high school. She picked up her schedule from the front office, her classes seemed relatively easy. Maybe senior year wouldn't be that bad after all.

Wrong. Immediately after being introduced to her history class by and taking her seat, the whispers began.

"Did she say Fell?" a girl with pin straight brown hair whispered to a perky looking blonde, behind Katie's back.

"Yeah, as in the founding Fell's. Jenna's Logan must be like her cousin or something." The blonde whispered back quickly. "But both of her parents are dead. Her mom apparently an accident, but everyone knows it was suicide. Her father died from an "animal attack." Anyway, she lives with step-dad, he's an engineer."

Katie's heart raced and a blush crept up her creamy cheeks, did they think they were being quiet enough that she wouldn't hear? And was she just being paranoid or did she hear suspicion in the blonde's voice over the animal attack story? Katie fanned herself, hot with embarrassment over her past being mulled over by two strangers. She raised her hand.

"May I go to the bathroom?" she asked. With a nod from she left the room.

The bathroom was easy enough to find, the school was tiny, much smaller then her old school in Boston. She wished she could splash cold water on her face, but she didn't want to wash off the cover up over her bruise. She stared at herself in the mirror, her father had been part Latino, but she looked like her mom. She had small features, with striking green eyes and straight blonde hair, layered a little past her shoulders with choppy bangs across her forehead. Her skin was pale, but soft and warm. She liked her appearance, being pretty was something she could use to her advantage. It helped her get a fake I.D so that she could serve alcohol (not many teenagers got a fake I.D for eighteen instead of twenty-one), and it helped her get better tips from the drunk men at the bar. That money was key to her survival. Her drunk of a step-dad hadn't worked in four years. Katie bought groceries and other essentials and paid the bills with her meager pay checks and mom social security. Her step-father bought alcohol with his disability and he made it clear Katie was never to ask for a penny of _his _money. After all, he was doing her such a favor by drunkenly hitting her at least once a week and verbally abusing her at least once an hour. She should be _so _thankful that he sent her little brother away so that he could try and make her assume _all _of her mother's old responsibilities…

Her eyes pricked with tears, she was strong, she always had been for the sake of her brother, but things were getting harder. The bathroom opened and Katie hurriedly blinked the tears away.

A beautiful African American girl with bright eyes smiled at Katie as she took the sink next to her and started scrubbing smudged ink off her hand. "This always happens when I write essays." She explained with another smile.

"Same here," Katie smiled back.

"I'm sorry," the girl said, turning off the sink. "But I don't think I've seen you around school before…"

"Oh," Katie smile, showing her naturally straight teeth (thank god, her step-father never would've gotten her braces). "I just moved back to Mystic Falls a couple weeks ago, over February break, it's my first day."

"I'm Bonnie Bennett." Bonnie introduced herself, not offering a formal handshake but instead giving a curt little wave.

"Katherine Fell, but most people just call me Katie." She leaned up against the bathroom stall casually, Bonnie didn't seem to be in a rush to get back to class and neither was she.

"Fell? Are you related to-"

"Barely, my dad felt his family was too arrogant and had a falling out with them before I was born. Logan Fell, the old news guy is, like, my second cousin." Katie dismissed. The Fell's were rich, and definitely arrogant. They didn't even show up to her mom's funeral, and definitely didn't offer to take her in.

"Interesting, it's nice to have another founding family girl around." Bonnie laughed. "What grade are you in?"

"I'm a senior this year." Katie thought they were getting along well, maybe this school wouldn't be too awful after all. She prided herself on the fact that she tried to be a loyal, genuine person. She was someone who needed friendships to be happy, true friendship though, not shallow popularity where a bunch of girls pretended to like her.

"Me too, this year can't end quickly enough." Bonnie sighed. Katie agree, she wanted this year over so she could go to college and leave her step-father's house, but the sadness and longing in Bonnie's eyes made Katie uncomfortable. What could've made this girl hate high school so much? She was pretty and well kept, she didn't look like she was bullied… but then again Katie kept herself neat and feminine too and she was hiding a secret battle. "So have you met any other seniors?"

"Uhm, this boy Matt, I met him when I interviewed for a job down at The Grill." Katie recalled, blushing slightly. Matt had been sweet, he understood her need for cash. They talked for a bit about financial responsibility…and then about how they were too young to be talking about that boring stuff. He was cute too…

"No way! He's one of my good friends, he's a really good kid...and he's available." Bonnie smiled suggestively.

Katie laughed. "Oh god, maybe we'll bond over dirty dishes."

Bonnie laughed with her, "I have to get back to class, here give me your number and we can make plans or something." She said, pulling out an expensive looking cell phone.

Katie felt hot; she couldn't afford a cell phone on top of all the other bills she had to pay. At her old school her close friends knew the truth, but as shallow as it made her seem, she was a little embarrassed about not having money the money to keep such a common teenaged thing as a cell phone. "Actually, I don't exactly have a cell phone. My step-dad is an engineer and his cell phone is always ringing and interrupting things so he refuses to let me get one until I'm eighteen." She lied, slightly rambling.

"That stinks," Bonnie pouted. "Well, if you work at The Grill I'll just come by sometime."

"Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, six till twelve." Katie recited. They had given her two shitty days but Thursday's were pretty decent.

Bonnie smiled, "See you around."

Katie waited another minute before heading back to class, thinking Mystic Falls wouldn't be so bad after all.

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><p>A little after five Katie changed into a simple white, v-neck t-shirt (tight and low cut to help bring in the tips), jeans, and a comfortable but stylish pair of cowgirl boots. She twisted her blonde hair into a messy bun and fluffed her bangs. After a touching up the make-up over her bruise she was content with her appearance. She was pretty, if not a little young looking, and she wasn't against working what she had. A little flirting went a long way, taking the number of a seedy guy was an O.K price to pay when you got a $20 tip for it. She went down into the kitchen to grab one of the protein shakes she had waiting in the fridge.<p>

"Look at you," Her step-father snapped, walking into the kitchen after her. He stunk like stale booze and had a cup of more vodka in his hand. "you look like a slut. You should just go topless to work. Make some money so we can get some real T.V in this house, none of this basic cable shit."

"Maybe you could sober up and go back to work, John." Katie sighed; she was used to his disgraceful remarks.

"Excuse you? Who gave you a place to live out of the goodness of their hearts? ME! And you go parading yourself around MY house with your tits hanging out, and then you have the nerve to refuse me. You fucking tease. Get the fuck out!" he yelled, splashing his vodka and juice all over the floor as he gestured wildly to the front door.

"My pleasure, don't forget to sleep on your side, wouldn't want you to choke on your own vomit." Katie said sarcastically, grabbing her bag and keys and rushing out the door before she really set him off.

She got to work a little early, just as the dinner rush was coming to an end. The bartender before her had stocked the bar pretty well so she just dropped her bag behind the counter and settled in to wait for customers. It was a Monday night so it wasn't like she was expecting more then a handful of men who were stopping to get a drink after staying too late at the office.

By eleven, only seven people had come in. A few chatted with her and left decent tips, but the others just wanted to be left alone to drown their sorrows in Jack Daniels, which she understood. The busboy on duty was flipping the chairs on top of the tables, lazily wiping crumbs off. Katie was sketching a tree onto a napkin, a tree her mom had described to her when she couldn't fall asleep as a kid, a hearty white oak. In the story, the white oak tree was in danger so Katie's great-great grandfather requested an acorn from the tree to plant elsewhere. The story had made her feel connected to her dad's family, and put her to sleep, dreaming of dancing under the full branches of the tree with her dad.

A cough interrupted her daydreams and she looked up to find Mr. Saltzman sitting sheepishly at the bar. "Hey Katherine, if your uncomfortable serving your teacher I can go…" he offered, registering her look of surprise.

She laughed, "Don't worry about it; I've served plenty of my teachers in the past." Which was true, working at a main bar in Boston had lead to multiple run-ins with faculty members at her school, and somehow after a few free drinks they forgot to report her for being underage. "Just don't start hitting on me, please. Then it gets a little weird." She joked

"You have my word," he smiled, but then hesitated. "I can't speak for the man who's coming to join me, though. He's a bit of an ass…Try not to judge me for my acquaintances." He shrugged, flipping through a menu.

"Don't worry about it, I'm not one to judge. What can I get you?" she offered, sliding the colored napkin away from her carelessly.

"Just whatever's on tap is fine."

"You got it." Katie smiled, pulling a frosty glass from below the bar.

"This picture is really detailed, Katherine. Did you ever think about pursuing art after high school?" Mr. Saltzman mentioned, staring intently at her tree. He was studying it with a strong and curious eye; she didn't think the tree was even that good.

"Nah, I think I'll study Bio-Chem. I'm a science geek." She joked, placing his beer in front of him.

"Mind if I keep this then? Since its not going in your portfolio." He smiled.

Katie found his interest in her drawing disturbing. Was he going to turn into a psycho-stalker, collecting her meaningless scrap papers that she threw in his class recycling bin? But she was never rude to a customer, and Mr. Saltzman seemed like a genuinely nice and normal man. "Go right ahead."

The bells rang, signaling someone entering the bar. Katie glanced at the clock. "Last call." She stated, it was 11:52 and she still had some homework.

The raven haired man approached the bar with a cocky smile. He was hot, really hot and he sat right next to Mr. Saltzman. "Twenty bucks says I get more then one drink." He said, sliding a bill across the counter.

She slid the bill into the tip jar under the counter. "Okay, two, but drink fast. What will it be?" He was gorgeous, but she wasn't intimidated by good-looking strangers in leather jackets.

"I was thinking I'd just have as many as I want." He said, staring directly into her eyes with a sickly sweet smile and assertive voice.

"Damon," Mr. Saltzman warned.

"No, you'll have two. Now what can I get you?" Katie answered, and the blue-eyed bad boy, Damon, looked confused by her lack of conformance.

"Your best whisky on ice." He ordered, and then grabbed her hand gently. "This is a pretty bracelet. Did your boyfriend give it to you?" he asked, touching the dangling hollow heart before hastily pulling away as if the metal burned him.

"No, my mother left it to me in her will." She replied, somewhat hoping his behavior would improve. She poured him his drink.

He gave a crooked smile, "I'm Damon Salvatore. I like blondes." He smiled, looking from her face, to her chest, and back to her face. Katie was used to men like him.

"Katherine." She offered her full name.

Damon made a face and drained his glass. "I don't like Katherines."

"That's a shame." Katie said sarcastically, pouring more liquor into his glass.

"I might make an exception if your lucky." He said with the same crooked smile.

"Damon, did you have something to tell me or would you like to continue hitting on my student all night?" Mr. Saltzman interrupted; Katie shot him a thankful glance.

"Your right, I've had enough of your indecisive little students." Damon said bitterly, and Katie had a feeling he wasn't talking about her. "Give us some privacy, Kate."

"For you, it's Katherine." She said sweetly, walking away to give the two privacy. It might've been because she was getting tired, but she thought she saw Mr. Saltzman hastily slide a napkin over to Damon Salvatore…


	2. Vampires and Violence

**A/N: **I got three reviews so quickly that I _had_ to write another chapter. Thank you guys! I forgot to mention this in the last chapter, but I've abandoned the whole storyline, sorry if you liked that part but I dont really find it interesting. Please review, your comments will help make the story better!

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><p>The second and third days of school proved to be relatively uneventful. The gossiping girls behind her in history ended up being Bonnie's friends, Elena and Caroline, and they weren't that bad. Caroline gushed over Katie's natural hair color and debated the obvious inadequacy of bottle blondes. Elena seemed distracted and kept trying to meet Bonnie's eye, there seemed to be a bit of tension between them but Elena stood by the fact they were best friends. Overall the girls seemed sweet, the boys were good looking, the homework load was light and her bruises were fading.<p>

After school on Thursday, Matt caught up to her. "Hey Katie," he smiled, he had boyish good looks and he really was sweet. He was the busboy Tuesday through Friday and Tuesday night they had fun chatting while The Grill was empty.

"What's up, Matt?" she stopped walking to her car to talk to him.

He lifted a hand and scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I was wondering if I could catch a ride home."

"Yeah, of course." She answered, ushering him towards her beat up car.

Last night she had admitted to Matt that her dad was out of work, and he understood. His mother was always leaving so he had to pay his bills himself too. He agreed to keep her financial troubles between them and she agreed to keep his feelings about Elena and Caroline between them. Back in Boston Katie was never in a relationship, but she listened to her friends and tried to give Matt the best advice she could. They had a lot in common, they both had to grow up young without as many luxuries as other kids, and they were both careful with their hearts (well Matt only recently).

"Your going to have to direct me though, I can get to my house, to school and to the Grill, but that's about it." She said, turning the key in the ignition and listening to engine regretfully roar to life. It was a typical, cold February afternoon and her poor little car didn't do well in the cold.

"No problem, if you go straight up the hill, take the second left and then its just pass the old railroad tracks." Matt said easily. It didn't surprise Katie that Matt lived on the "lesser" part of town, she did too.

She smiled, finding ironic they lived so close but had never carpooled before. "What's funny?" he asked, concerned.

"We're practically neighbors. I live on Hill Street. Anytime you need a ride, just let me know." She smiled, not taking her eyes off the road.

"I wouldn't say no to a ride to school in morning." He smirked, catching her eye.

"Done, I'll be out front at promptly 7:50am. And I'm always on time, don't make me come in after you." She joked, pulling in front of Matt's house. "Just give me your number so I can call you if I'm sick or something."

Matt looked pulled a pen out of the cup holder and looked for something to right on. Katie offered him her hand and he gently inked the number onto her hand. He paused, breathing in deeply. "Do you smell vervain?"

"Vervain?"

"Yeah…it's a flower. A lot of people put it in jewelry and stuff around her, superstition." He explained, sniffing again.

Katie lifted her wrist to her nose and sniffed the familiar smell of metal and something earthy filled her nose. She never paid attention to the smell before. "It must be my bracelet. It was my mom's and she used to live around here, she was pretty superstitious." It was true, she used to refuse to meet anyone she didn't really know anywhere except in broad daylight. Katie's dad's death had a strong effect on her. But even if vampires were around, Kate didn't think they'd be hanging around blending in with ordinary people when they could just snatch you from behind in the middle of the woods like they had with her father…

"Cool." Matt said quickly. "Thanks for the ride Katie, see you tonight."

Katie thought Matt was acting weird about her bracelet, maybe only freaks but vervain in jewelry and he was just being nice…

Katie pulled into the driveway and was shocked, to say the least, to find Damon Salvatore seated on the bench on her porch. She subtly tried to pull something sharp out of her backpack, and successfully came out with a sharpened pencil. "What're you doing at my house?" she hissed, not getting any closer then the foot of the stairs. Something about his attitude and the way he threw money around made Katie not trust him, despite how good looking he was.

"Well, Katherine May Fell, _if that is your real name,"_ he said, somewhat sarcastically as he walked down the steps towards her."I happened to find this nifty little fake I.D at The Grill on Monday, I figured I'd be a good Samaritan and return it." He smiled down at her, tapping a piece of plastic.

Katie tried to snatch it from him but he pulled it out of her reach, he had almost a foot on her. "Not so fast, Kate. I have a few questions first."

Katie crossed her arms, annoyed and vulnerable. "If you're going to call me anything besides Katherine, then it's Katie. Give me back my fucking I.D, I need it for work."

"Katie, someone isn't as sweet as they look. Do you kiss your parents with that mouth?" he asked, still keeping his half smile.

"My parents are dead. May I please have my I.D." She bit out, using her manners even though this man obviously didn't deserve them much.

"If you answer my questions. Cute picture by the way, green is one of my favorite colors." He said with a wink, Katie rolled her eyes.

"Have you always worn vervain or did you just start when you moved to Mystic Falls?" he asked, flipping her I.D between his fingers.

"I didn't even know it was in my bracelet until today." She sighed, leaning against the railing with her arms crossed, the ballet flats she was wearing were pinching.

"So, you don't believe in vampires?" he asked casually.

Katie tensed up, "No," she said immediately, trying to play it off, but curiosity got to her. "What does a plant have to do with some fictional monster anyway?"

"Vervain weakens vampires, and it makes it so they can't compel you to do anything." Damon said, casually tossing her I.D back and forth.

Katie's heart was already racing when he mentioned vampires, but now she was piecing things together. Her dad was killed in the woods her in Mystic Falls, her mom had always said it was a vampire and they moved to get away. Back in Mystic Falls, there seemed to be a tension vibrating under every cheery face. And at The Grill on Monday, Damon had tried to make her agree to pour him more drinks and when she didn't comply, he became interested in her bracelet. Rational was being thrown out the window as she racked through protections against vampires, she didn't have a cross or holy water, but she had a wooden pencil. She also remembered her mom was always very careful about inviting strangers inside. Katie leapt up the stairs, her heart pounding, all she had to do was get in the house and she would be safe. Just before she touched the doorknob Damon was suddenly standing in front of her, holding her wrists tightly.

"I thought that might happen. Now what do you say you and I take a drive and you tell me what I want to know or I'll rip that pretty little bracelet off and _make_ you tell me." He warned, his lips barely touching her ear.

Tears sprang to Katie's eyes; she never thought she valued her life. In fact she had habitually hoped for an end to it, but not like this. She dutifully followed the blue-eyed monster to his Camaro, he opened the passenger side door for her.

"Don't try to run." He stated, he didn't need to add and 'or else' for Katie to not want to risk it. He zipped to the driver's side and roared the engine to life. "Buckle up, Katie." He smiled, she searched his white teeth for points but saw nothing.

He peeled out off her lawn and started driving down the small town streets at top speed. Her life went from normal to paranormal so fast her body was shaking, her skin was hot and cold at the same time and her heart wasn't slowing down. Damon glanced over at her.

"Hey, don't go into shock. I need you." He reached over and opened the glove box, pulling out a package of Chip's Ahoy he put in there for Elena, when she was freaked out sugar would calm her. The thought of Elena made Damon crush two of the four cookies in the package. He tossed them thoughtlessly onto Katie's lap, "Eat." He demanded, placing his hands back on the wheel. Katie noticed his knuckles were white and she wondered if he was going to snap the steering wheel.

Katie didn't really eat junk food, her diet was something she had strong control over, but she made and exception and shoved a cookie in her mouth. "How are you out during the day?" she finally asked, swallowing.

"Magic ring," he stated simply, flashing a gaudy ring.

Katie let out a laugh of disbelief. "Does everyone know about vampires?" she asked, remembering Matt's reaction.

"Pretty much, but they all pretend not to."

"A vampire killed my dad." Katie said accusingly, her face hot with fear and now anger.

"Yea well I only came back around recently so don't blame me. In fact, if you know what I _think_ you know, I might be able to take a guess at who killed him." He said, pulling into a giant driveway in front of an enormous and ominous looking house. "Lets get inside and then it'll be my turn to ask questions." He said, getting out and zipping around to her side, opening the door for her.

"One more," she said, not getting out of the car.

"You know, ripping that bracelet off is getting more and more tempting. The problem with will power is that it makes you feel more powerful then you are." Damon sighed, but Katie pushed it and didn't move. "What?" he snapped.

"Are you going to kill me?" she asked, raising her chin to appear more confident then she was.

Damon sighed again, apparently humans annoyed him. "Did I not tell you I needed you? Get in the house." He said, slamming the car door after she got out.

The inside of the house was huge and heavily decorated with out of date furnishings. Another man was standing in the living area that Damon led her to, and he turned as they entered.

"You kidnapped the new girl? Interesting move." He said.

"Don't act like your not concerned, you forget that you let your humanity show, brother." Damon dismissed, walking straight to pour himself a drink. "Stefan this is Katherine Fell and she knows something about the relative to the White Oak tree that can kill Originals."

Katie narrowed her eyes, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't play dumb, Alaric showed me the drawing you did." He said, waving around the napkin she doodled on.

"My mom used to tell me a fairytale about a magical oak tree that talked to my super great grandfather and told him to help it. Somehow I don't feel like that's a very credible story." Katie rolled her eyes, pulling Damon's drink out of his hand just before he took a sip, and instead draining it herself. She didn't regularly drink, growing up with an alcoholic made her reluctant, but every now and then she did.

"Oh because that's so unbelievable compared to vampires." Damon said, this time he rolled his eyes, snatching the glass back. "That was _mine_, Katie."

She shrugged, having another person around, who Damon said had humanity made her braver. She strolled around the living room, looking at the pictures before sitting on the couch in front of Damon. He was staring at her; most likely annoyed he lost the effect of fear.

"I need to get back before five, I have work." She said, looking up at him.

"_You_ don't tell _me _what to do, I tell you what to do. Tell me the entire story." He demanded, pouring another drink and rolling up his sleeves. His forearms were thick and solid looking.

"I did, a white oak tree was in trouble and it gave my grandfather an acorn, or a sampling sometimes my mom mixed it up, and my grandfather planted it somewhere else so that it would live on." Katie said lazily, she was acting dismissive on purpose, she was only acting though. "Why do you care so much?"

"Because that other white oak tree can be used to kill a couple of dangerous vampires that can't be killed any other way. And if your dad knew something, then one of those vampires probably killed him before he could find the tree or tell anyone else." Damon said, taking her I.D back out and playing with it again.

Katie reached out and snatched it, she felt proud of herself but she had a feeling that if Damon really didn't want her to have it, she wouldn't have gotten it. "Am I in danger?" she asked, trying to appear calm.

Stefan snorted from where he was standing. She didn't think he was listening. "You were in danger the second you walked into this town." He said and then added, "Elena's at the door." A second before Elena stormed into the room.

"Bonnie still isn't talking to me, I hate you Damon. You need to go apologize- Katie?" she asked, her chest still heaving from yelling at Damon.

"I was kidnapped because of a bedtime story." Katie said like she was discussing the weather outside. This town had too much drama apparently.

"What's going on, Stefan?" Elena asked, confused. She walked closer to the other Salvatore. Katie watched the way Damon's jaw clenched when Elena said Stefan's name.

"Katie might know where to find a descendent of the White Oak tree that can kill Klaus." He said easily, not looking Elena directly in the eye.

"I can try and steal my parent's journals from my step-dad but he's really touchy about me messing around in my mom's stuff." She said, trying not to squirm when mentioning John.

"Can't you just look while he's at work?" Elena asked, obviously excited by the idea of a weapon against these other vampires.

"Oh yeah, I'll just do that." Katie forced a laugh, hitting her forehead with her palm like the idea previously escaped her.

"Wow, I can't believe we might get another chance…" Elena said sitting down. Stefan unconsciously drifted behind her, like a magnet.

"As long as this one manages to stay alive." Damon said. Then suddenly Katie felt her mouth being covered and something warm and metallic tasting being forced into her mouth. She fought against it, falling to the floor and she heard Elena yelling in the background. Finally the pressure was released and she spat out the liquid, her stomach turning when she realized it was blood.

"Or undead, as long as she's still around to help us, I don't care." Damon hissed from where Stefan had him pinned against the wall.

"Come on, Katie, I'll drive you home." Elena offered, picking her up and glaring at Damon.

They walked past Damon and Stefan and Katie stopped. Elena walked a couple more paces before turning around to watch. Katie pulled the pencil she hid earlier out from the waist band of her jeans and stabbed it into Damon's shoulder while Stefan held him. He screamed in pain.

"Prick." She snapped, before storming out after Elena.


	3. Pain and Piper

**A/N:** My fic chapters are usually never as long as the past two (and maybe this one), but Katie and Damon's story has already played out in my head and I need to share it. As always, please review.

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><p>Katie woke up early Saturday morning, but stayed in bed, listening for her step-dad to leave on his early morning booze run. If he had been the type of drunk that passed out in bars, she would've been nervous people would find out about them, but all he did was go out in the morning and come back and drink until the next morning. Other then that, he stayed in the house.<p>

When she heard the door downstairs slam shut, she jumped out of bed and ran to John's room. She hadn't been in there yet so she scanned it, ignoring the smell of filth and stale booze. She went to the closet and tried to shuffle through things quickly, without making it obvious to John that she had been messing around in his room. She knew her parents' journals were around somewhere, Katie had always wanted them to feel closer to her parents and John used that against her by hiding them.

The closet turned up nothing and there was nothing under the bed either. She was losing time and hope fast. Sweating, she tossed her sweatshirt on the bed and then got down on her hands and knees. She pushed herself further under the bed, not ready to give up hope. A board gave way under elbow and before fixing it, Katie noticed the journals hidden there. She cheered and pulled them out, not even caring about spiders or other hidden creepies. She slide out from under the bed and went back to her room, cradling the three books. She heard the door downstairs open and she hastily shoved the journals. Then it hit her, she left her jacket on John's bed.

Katie ran to John's room, grabbing her jacket and turning to leave just as he came in.

"What're you doing." He asked dangerously.

Katie thought quickly, she didn't want him to even consider her stealing the journals, so she mentioned the one the she knew he would readily believe.

"I-I needed money." She said, almost whispering. She needed to brace herself for what was going to come, but her mind could think of nothing except coming pain.

Katie didn't listen to his screams or answer his questions, she tried to clear her mind but that didn't dull the pain of a slap across the cheek, his ring slicing her jaw right below the ear. She fell to the ground and he grabbed her arm, forcefully dragging her down the hall and throwing her into her own room.

"If you ever try stealing from me you ungrateful little bitch, it'll be the last thing you ever do." He yelled.

Katie's eyes blurred, she didn't want this. Nate wasn't here anymore so she had no one she needed to be strong for. She had no money saved for college, she was stuck in the middle of a dangerous plan involving mythical creatures, and she was being physically and mentally beaten down to the point that she couldn't take it anymore. She had been here before, and it was a dark place. She picked herself up, shoulder burning from being dragged and a hand print bruise already forming. She didn't bother wiping the blood dripping down her neck; instead she pulled a razor out of her jewelry box.

She pulled her arm out of her shirt and stared at the five straight, raised scars on the inside of her bicep. It had been over a year since she cut; Nate saw the fresh cuts one day and called her out. She had let him down and she hadn't intentionally hurt herself since then, until now. She put the metal against one of the already made scars and pushed, her fingers remembering their old technique. The pain sent a thrill up her spin and she cut the next four scars open. When she was finished, she didn't feel as calm as she used to feel after cutting. Instead she felt like she let Nate down, her little fourteen year old brother, rotting in foster care instead of being with his sister.

She threw the razor under her bed, and grabbed a dirty towel off the floor, pressing it against the five cuts. She let herself cry, wiping the blood off her face and smearing Neosporin over the straight slices on her arm. Finally, she ran out of tears and cursed herself for her weakness. She fell against her pillows, momentarily confused by the hardness pressing into her back before she remembered the journals. She was strengthened by the idea of reading her parents' words tonight after John went to sleep.

Katie dressed in a bulky cream sweater and jeans, slipping into comfortable knock off Sperry's. Even though she rarely had spending money, she loved fashion and thrift stores always had nice things, cheap. Her eyes were puffy and there was nothing that could be done about that but a few drops of Visine and a layer of make-up later, she looked presentable except for some minor swelling where John struck her.

Hearing John snoring through the thin walls, she decided it was safe to go down to the kitchen and make food. Halfway through defrosting chicken breasts, the doorbell rang. Katie froze; no one was supposed to come here. Then her heart sank, the only one who knew where she lived was Damon Salvatore.

Grabbing another pencil she stalked over to the front door, poising the pencil and throwing the door open with a scowl. Instead of seeing the rude, heartless, damned, sexy vampire, she saw Matt. Who held his hands up innocently upon seeing her furious face.

"Whoa, is this a bad time?" he asked, his eyes questioning and falling on the uncovered cut on her jaw.

"No, I thought you were Damon." She laughed, opening the screen door and stepping outside with Matt. "What's up?"

"Well if you haven't eaten yet, I was going to meet up with Bonnie and Caroline at the Grill…if you wanted to come."

"Still no Elena?" Katie asked sadly. Since being allowed in the vampire loop, she'd been welcomed with open arms, which meant being subjected to all the drama a pack of supernatural fighting teenagers came with. She didn't think Elena was to blame for Bonnie's mom turning and ultimately her death, that was on Damon. But at the same time, she couldn't help but feel bad for the unrequited love Damon had for Elena.

"Not yet." Matt said sadly. "So you up for it?"

Katie thought for a minute, and then grabbed her wallet and keys. "Let's go."

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><p>When Katie got home, John was passed out in front of the T.V so she quietly snuck up to her room. She changed into pajamas and then curled into bed, pulling out the three journals. One was ancient and falling apart, but the other two were in relatively good condition. She opened one of the newer ones and found her moms familiar handwriting. The familiar sight made her eyes fill with tears. Sometimes she hated her mom for leaving her, it wasn't fair that her mom got to take the easy way out. But in the end, she missed and loved her more then anything.<p>

She opened to one of the earlier entries, it was short and undated:

_A man named John came into the restaurant today and left his number on the table. He's not much of a looker and he's loud and obnoxious, but he left his number and he's an engineer. I never thought I'd have to resort to gold digging to pay the bills and give my family what they deserve, but I think I'll give him a call. He cant be that bad._

_Some days I miss Adam so much I don't even know how to function. I see him in Katie and Nate's faces it kills me. But I know he would need me to be strong, to protect them with my life, and he continue to try and put and end to the terror Klaus put in our, and everyone else's, hearts. _

_ Fondly,_

_ Piper Fell_

Seeing her moms signature made Katie's heartache, and seeing how wrong she was about John made her palms sweat with anger. Things could've been so different if her mom had just fought her depression. She leaned her head back and blinked away tears.

A knock on the window startled her out of her thoughts; she hesitantly got out of bed and went to the window to find Damon perched carefully on the roof under her window. Knowing he couldn't enter, she opened the window.

"What do you want." She asked blandly.

"Can I come in?" he asked, giving her a seductive smile that she wasn't going to fall for.

"Are you insane? No you cannot come in, I like to be able to sleep at night knowing I have a good chance of waking up." She hissed, wanting to slam the window but also curious about why he was there.

"Look, I'm sorry I tried to feed you my blood. It's not like I was going to kill you, I just wanted a little reassurance of some sort." He said, gesturing vaguely. "And I don't apologize often."

"I'm not letting you in. I have the journals but I want to read them first." She said, lifting her chin, knowing her decision would bother him.

"Are you serious? I could read ten times faster then you and get this whole thing over with. Besides, you have no idea what to even look for." He snapped, obviously aggravated.

"I never knew my dad and I never understood my mom, I don't even really know what this vampire thing has to do with me yet. I know you're heartless, but this is my decision take it or leave it because Bonnie is on my side and I know she could easily burn you with her min." She crossed her arms defiantly.

Damon exhaled aggravated, he realized that the five foot two blonde was not budging. Her green eyes glared at him, boring into his sole. He looked away. "Fine. Compromise with me at least."

"No." Katie said, she didn't want to help Damon at all. She was only doing the journal thing to help get rid of a dangerous vampire who may have killed her dad.

"Please?" he asked, batting his dark eye-lashes. Bonnie had told her that Damon was throwing himself into projects now that Elena and Stefan were warming back up to each other. He needed a distraction apparently. That bit of pity she felt for the human part of him that was hurting was what changed her mind.

"What kind of compromise?" she asked, twisting her drawstrings.

"You let me look at the journals now, in your house. Then let me take one home to read and when I finish, I'll return it." He suggested, his voice still leaking with irritation.

"Can you just please not kill me in my sleep? And don't steal all of the journals and run away because your compromise is a win-win." She warned.

"Except that I don't compromise," he said, rolling his eyes. Katie was amused and Damon took it back. "I promise, now may I come in?"

"Yeah, come in." she offered, hoping she wouldn't regret it.

Damon stepped in and brushed himself off. Katie hastily pulled on a sweater to cover her cuts and the hand shaped bruise on her forearm. She didn't want any pity.

"Here," she said, passing the three journals to him.

He sat on her bed, kicking his feet up. She batted his shoes off her bed, not wanting to sleep in dirt. He flipped through them, careful of the frailer pages. "Is there any one that you want first?" he asked her, not looking up.

Katie was surprised he asked, "I'll keep my moms. It's probably the least helpful anyway. You can take the other two." She offered, feeling generous since he offered her first choice.

"Excellent," he declared, snapping the book shut but not making a move to leave. "Your bed is comfortable."

"I know." Katie sighed, not sitting. Something about someone being in her house made her uncomfortable.

Damon stood and Katie sat, "You don't _have _to do the opposite thing of me every time, Katie."

"Don't do that" Katie said, folding her legs criss-cross.

"What?" Damon asked, looking relatively confused.

"Say my name at the end of, like, every other sentence." Katie rolled her eyes.

Damon narrowed his eyes at her; he didn't notice that he had been doing that. The smell of blood caught his nostrils and he sniffed, glancing around the room. Katie shot him a curious glance, unaware of what he was doing. He used a foot to slide the razor out from under the bed, where it had landed after she threw it. He stared at the razor for a second, and then looked at Katie. Her skin crawled, his eyes passed over her whole body. His face twitched into several emotions, questioning curiosity, surprise, interest. Katie hoped he wouldn't ask, hoped that he didn't even realize the truth, but it was futile.

"I'll see you around, _Katie._" He finally smirked before jumping out the window.


	4. Trees and noTees

**A/N: **I feel like only a few people are reading these chapters, but hopefully more people will read and review during the weekend. Anyway, hows the story? Too fast? Chapters too long? Review! Thank you :)

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><p>Katie used as much of her spare time as possible to pour over her mom's thick journal. She found out how much her mom loved her, and how afraid she was of the vampire Klaus. None of the entries were dated, but Katie was able to date most of them from events that she mentioned. There were also whole years where her mother didn't write, that's probably why she only ever needed one thick journal for twelve years of her life.<p>

Tuesday after school, Katie locked her bedroom door and pulled out the journal.

_I found a news article the other day from Mystic Falls, there was another "animal attack" where the body was drained of blood. I don't think its Klaus, in all my time researching him; he never came back to Mystic Falls after he left. Sometimes I wonder about the vampire that killed Adam. I wonder if they had a family at some point. I wonder if someone else has staked them. _

_My days are lived in fear; fear of my loveless marriage to an alcoholic, fear for Katie and Nate's futures, fear of inviting strangers in, fear of Klaus. If he ever finds out about the second White Oak, we're the first to go. I wish I could remember exactly where it is, all the enchantments around it made it pulse with power, but they also made us forget. That whole town is cursed because it lives in that forest._

_I wish I could find it, and I wish I could burn it. I want nothing more then to wash my hands of this vampire madness. I wish I believed that my husband was killed in an animal attack. I wish the White Oak didn't exist and I wish I didn't have to someday pass that knowledge onto my children as new guardians. However, I knew what I was signing up for when I became a Fell._

_ Fearfully yours,_

_ Piper Fell_

Katie's heart pounded, the White Oak was here, she knew it. The only town she mentioned in the entry was Mystic Falls, plus it made complete sense that it wouldn't be too far away from where the original had been planted. But enchantments that made the tree 'pulse with power'? And enchantments to induce forgetting? It's not like she expected that finding a powerful weapon against a nearly invincible vampire would be easy…but how could they ever find it if no one could ever remember it after being around the enchantments?

She closed the book and grabbed her car keys; she had to tell one of the others. She hastily made the decision to go to the Salvatore's first, Elena was most likely there and it would be easier to explain what she found to three people at once, then they could explain it to the others. Not having a cell phone was really inconvenient at times like these.

The drive was time consuming; the thin layer of snow on the ground required her to go slowly in her old car. She banged on the Salvatore's door, already in danger of being late for work. There was no answer, but Katie could hear music blaring from inside so she just let herself in. She didn't feel as rude as she probably should have upon walking into someone's house unannounced. No one was in the common area so she followed the sound of the music up the stairs, beginning to feel a little uncomfortable.

The door at the top of the stairs was open, music pouring out into the hallway. Damon stood shirtless staring out the window, his back to her. For a moment she was caught off guard by the sculpt of his back muscles, the way his dark jeans fell on his hips, his ridged stance…Damon turned and threw his glass against a wall, startling Katie. Her sudden movement and sharp intake of breath alerted Damon to her presence. He rounded on her.

"What?" he barked his neck and chest muscles tense with aggravation.

Katie took a step back, "I found something I thought you guys might want to see…" she said, shaking the diary in her hand.

Damon rubbed a hand down his face. He picked up a remote from the table next to him and clicked off the music. "What is it?"

"Where's Stefan?" she asked, leaning her shoulder against the entrance to the stairway.

"He's out romancing Elena. Do you have something to tell me or are you going to stand around and ask me some more useless questions?" he growled, his blue eyes flashing before settling into a cold, hard stare.

Katie glared at him, she got yelled at enough at home. "Fuck you," she sauntered past him into his room without an invitation and sat herself on his bed.

"Watch your feet." He warned.

She deliberately kicked them up onto the bed, opening the journal to the page she had read earlier. "Here," she offered it to him.

His eyes darted over the page, taking in the information faster then she could've. He snapped it shut. "So do we just search the entire outskirts of Mystic Falls until we come across a tree we don't remember? That'll work." He said sarcastically, beginning to pace with a serious look on his face.

"I don't know, that's your job. Apparently Klaus didn't even kill my dad so…" She said, resting her chin on his footboard as she watched him pace. His pecs bounced slightly with every step. His body was pretty mesmerizing Katie admitted her herself, suddenly feeling overly self conscious of her tight top and jeans. _Your body is better_, she reassured herself, regaining her confidence with a little exhale.

"No its everyone's job. Your in the whether you want to be or not." He smirked at her, evidently amused with the fact that she was locked into something she didn't want to be a part of.

"Whatever, I have work. Can you show that to Stefan and Elena when they get back? And maybe drop it back off at my house tonight…?" she asked hopefully, standing up and straightening her shirt. She wanted to ask if Stefan and Elena were back together but she had a feeling the broken glass in the corner meant 'yes' anyway.

"Yeah, sure." He said absently, his eyes darting across the pages again.

Katie began to leave the room when Damon called, "Wait one more thing, Katie." He said, a strange emotion on his face, something related to smugness and curiosity.

She shot him a strange look as he crossed the room towards her. He grabbed her left wrist and yanked it towards himself, pushing up the sleeve of her shirt. Katie tried to yank away, having a feeling that she knew what he was looking for. He turned her arm both ways, noticing she hand shaped bruise but not finding any cuts. He looked her in the face, and she stared back coldly, silently cheering he only thought to check her wrists. Then he forced the sleeve up and over her elbow, the tight material dislodging some of the scabs. He roughly pulled her arm to the side so he could look at the few cuts that showed beneath where he pushed her sleeve. Her heart squeezed and pounded, she hated when people found her scars.

"That's stupid." He stated simply.

This enraged Katie, he had no idea. "You don't know anything about me." She snapped, pulling her arm away and this time he let her.

"I could find out whatever I wanted." He said, a crooked smile on his face.

"Go for it! Or here's a wild suggestion maybe try _asking_ if you actually want to know! Christ you don't have any fucking people skills." She snapped, angrily descending the stairs.

"Maybe its because I'm a vampire!" he yelled down after her. "We don't need to get all warm and cozy with our prey!"

Katie let out and aggravated yell and slammed the front door as hard as she could.


	5. Klaus and Klutz

**A/N:** I know you readers are out there, a lot of you subscribed to story alerts, so please review. I want to make the story better for all of you and I can't without your feedback. Hope you enjoy!

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><p>Katie's Tuesday shift was always frustratingly slow. The other workers on Tuesday were older and just wanted to get their work done peacefully and get home to their kids, so conversation was limited. Usually, someone from school popped in, but not always. The only one at the bar was a defeated man in a suit who asked her to just leave the bottle of cheap rum, so she pulled out AP Biology book and began to read into the next chapter.<p>

"Geek," a clear voice said suddenly from in front of her.

Katie jumped, unaware that someone had snuck up on her. She scowled upon seeing Damon taking a seat in front of her on the far right of the bar.

"Where'd you come from?" Katie sighed, snapping the book shut.

"Back door," Damon said, nodding behind her.

Katie pulled out a bottle of expensive vodka and poured a double shot. Damon reached for it, but she snatched it up and poured it down her throat before daintily placing the glass back on the bar, clearing her throat to soothe the burn.

"Isn't it frowned upon to drink on the job?" Damon asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No one's looking. Thank you," she smiled innocently at him.

He gave her a distrusting look, "For what…?"

"For buying me an apology shot of our best liquor so that I can put up with your arrogance for however long you're in here." She said with overdone sweetness.

Damon pursed his lips, "Whatever, give me a glass of whiskey on the rocks."

"Nothing like the word 'please,'" She said, filling a wide glass with ice and pouring Damon the liquor.

He grabbed her hand and positioned it so that more liquor poured into the glass. "Please." He said, looking into her eyes. She stared back; pouring more into the glass then was customary.

The bell signaling someone entering the restaurant sounded and Damon glanced behind him and swore softly. Katie looked over and saw and attractive man standing by the door.

Damon laughed a little too loud and whispered anxiously, "That's Klaus, act natural, you don't know me."

Katie nearly dropped the bottle in her hand. It was happening; the dangerous vampire her mother feared was walking into her work place, most likely bent on her destruction.

"And control your heart!" he snapped, trying to keep quiet to avoid the other vampire's sensitive ears.

_Act natural, act natural, act natural_ she repeated in her head, willing her heart to relax. Klaus came over and took a seat at the center of the bar. Katie put on a smile and walked up to him, falling back on the flirty moves she used to get higher tips.

"Hey," she said, curving her full lips while also pouting them out slightly. "Can I get you a drink?"

"Yes," he said with an accent. He looked her up and down. "I'll have a gin and tonic, please."

"Of course," she smiled, bending over seductively as she got out the glass.

"Are you new here?" he asked when she placed the glass in front of him on a napkin.

She leaned over on the counter. "Yeah, I moved here about a month ago."

"I knew I wouldn't just overlook a pretty face like that." He said, gesturing to her as he took a sip of his drink.

She giggled, acting flattered, but inside she was freaking. She wanted to run and hide behind Damon, but she wasn't sure yet if he'd sacrifice her or not. She didn't even want to risk a glance down the bar. She kept her heart relatively calm, but her palms were sweating a little.

"What's your name, love?" he asked her.

"Katherine," she smiled, offering her full name.

"What a pretty name. I had a couple friends who named their daughter Katherine, but everyone just called her Kit." He smiled and her heart dropped.

She hastily but smoothly knocked a glass off the bar, while pretending to fix her hair. She needed another reason for her heart's out of control thumping. Kit was what her mom and, before he died, her dad used to call her.

"Oh!" she gasped, bending to clean up the glass. "Sorry about that, I don't know why I'm so clumsy all of a sudden."

Klaus leaned over to look down at her, "No need to apologize. Tell me, are you close with Damon Salvatore?"

Katie thought quickly, purposely bumping her head on the bar as she stood up, another cover up for her heart skipping a beat.

She rubbed her head, "I'm usually never this clumsy, even around cute guys." She shook her head, biting her lower lip.

Klaus smiled and she could tell it was forced; he was getting frustrated with her ditzy, human act. The human part wasn't an act, but Katie usually wasn't this ridiculous.

"I'm so embarrassed, "she said fanning herself, at least now she didn't have to worry about him mistaking her heartbeat for something else. "What were you saying?"

"Damon Salvatore," he said gesturing down the bar with his cup. "Do you know him well?"

Katie shrugged, "No, not really."

"Funny, I thought a saw a pretty blonde coming out of his house earlier. My mistake," he said, drinking the rest of his drink.

She was in trouble, if he realized she was trying to cover something up she would be a main target. "That was me," she said rolling her eyes.

"Oh?" he asked, leaning forward.

She glanced down the bar at Damon, there eyes met. He looked indifferent, but his eyes were betraying emotion. Acting, Katie let out a growl of annoyance, "He's good looking but he's such a jerk. He texts me, inviting me over to just hang out, and we…you know. And then he just kicks me out? Asshole."

"That's right, you looked a little…irritated." He smiled. "There's something not quiet all there with him, rejecting a pretty girl like you."

Katie giggled, "Your way too sweet. Can I get you another drink?"

"That would be lovely." He answered, watching her. "Have you any idea if there's a White Oak tree around here? I'm doing some research."

Katie spilled a little of the alcohol on purpose, but her heart was already racing so she wasn't sure if he noticed a difference anyway. "Probably, there's a ton of trees around the edge of town. I don't know any of the different kinds but you could ask someone who's been around here longer." Katie shrugged, cleaning up the spilled drink with a rag.

"Katherine." Klaus said, his voice sounded stern. She looked up at him and he stared into her eyes, she kept her wrist with the vervain bracelet under the bar as she'd been doing. "Do you know where the White Oak tree is?"

He was trying to compel her and Katie needed to act the part. She glazed over and stared into his eyes, "No."

Klaus leaned back, and drained the rest of his drink. He threw a bill on the bar and stood up, "Well, it was nice meeting you, Katherine."

"You too, come back soon!" she smiled and called after him.

Katie pretended to be absorbed in cleaning glasses and wiping down the bar until Klaus was out of sight. Then she looked over at Damon. He stood up and looked around the room, the only other man who had been drinking left during Katie and Klaus' conversation. Damon came over and checked around the area Klaus was sitting and then sat down.

"That was good," Damon said approvingly. "How's your head?" he said with a crooked smile.

Katie rubbed her head where a bump was forming. "I've had worse. Do you think he suspected anything?"

"I don't think so. I thought he might smell the vervain but I doubt it. Good job acting compelled." He said, reaching over the bar for another bottle of alcohol.

"I'm glad you approve." Katie laughed, her nerves shot from being so close to Klaus.

"So, want to come home with me and…you know." He mocked, raising an eyebrow.

"Shut up, I was _acting._" She rolled her eyes, pulling a stool over and sitting across from Damon.

"Come on, a hot blonde like you? And I mean, we both know how good looking I am." He said, not even attempting modesty.

"Shut up, Damon." She warned.

"What, you admitted it yourself." He smirked into his glass before taking a sip.

"Finish that, my shift is over and I want to leave." She said, getting up and collecting the money off the bar. Damon tossed a large bill at her and she began counting out his change.

"Keep it," he said, downing the rest of his drink. "I'll follow you home."

Katie counted the tips for the night into three separate piles for the cook and the waitress on duty. They each made about $84 in tips which was impressive for a Tuesday night.

"You said he isn't on to us." She said, feeling uneasy.

"I don't think he is, but you had a lot to drink. Humans are so vulnerable." He warned, slightly sarcastically.

Katie rolled her eyes, "I'll be fine, besides if he sees you follow me home, he'll know something is up."

"Your right, see you later, _Katie_." He smirked, standing up.

Katie glared at him, but then smiled. He wasn't always that bad. "Bye, Damon."

The lights were off when Katie got home, her step-father was passed out in front of the TV. She tried to shut the door quietly, but he woke up.

"What the fuck! Can't a man get some sleep without you slamming the damn door! You sneaking in from a night of sleeping around, slut?" he asked, staggering when he stood up.

Katie ignored him and headed into the kitchen. She used the juicer to make fresh strawberry-orange juice that morning so she poured a large glass and grabbed a container of edamame. The Japanese beans were full of nutrients and her go-to food when she didn't feel like making a proper dinner.

"I was talking to you." John growled, coming into the kitchen.

"Not tonight. There's still dinner in the microwave and coffee in the pot, heat it up and go to sleep." She sighed, trying to squeeze past him.

He grabbed her arm, causing her to spill some of the juice over her top. "Where do you think your going?"

Katie pulled her arm away and stood in front of him. Before, he usually left her alone but since moving to Mystic Falls she had run-ins with him almost every night. He glared down at her and dragged a finger across the spilt juice that was dripping between her breasts. He put him finger in his mouth.

Suddenly, he pulled back and slapped her. It wasn't as hard as she was used to, but it still stung. "Get out of my face, tease." He hissed.

Katie ran up the stairs and shut the door behind her, turning the old fashioned key in the lock. She turned around and jumped upon seeing Damon sitting up in her bad.

"Problem?" he asked, his face relatively concerned.

Katie laughed, playing things off as she had learned to do. "Yeah, you scared the shit out of me." She took off her shoes and sat on the other side of the bed with her food. "I told you, you didn't need to follow me." She said, inching some of the beans out of the pod.

"I had to drop this off." He said, taking her moms diary out of his jacket and putting it on the nightstand. "What are you eating?" he asked, with a disgusted face.

"Edamame, they're good for you." She said, waving one in front of his face.

Damon made a face and moved his face away from the sprout. He kicked his shoes off and put his feet up. "What happened to your cheek?" he asked.

He reminded her of the teachers at her old school, condescending and annoying. "I get red when I find random guys in my bed. Are you planning on staying a while or something?"

"Well, Elena and Stefan have been making up, very loudly, all day so I have nothing better to do." He answered, resting his head against her headboard and closing his eyes.

"I thought you didn't like to get to know your prey?" she asked, still annoyed with him, but also kind of flattered that he was staying here rather then going to a random bar.

"You're a _little_ interesting," he said, indicating a small amount with his thumb and index finger.

"Gee thanks," Katie laughed, chugging some of the fruit juice. It was thick, but she wasn't going back downstairs to add water. "I'm sorry about Elena…" she added slowly, looking at him out of the corner of her eye.

Damon looked up at the ceiling and then back forward, "It's happened before, I made my choice when I turned Bonnie's mom." He said simply.

Katie started to pity him, but she hated when people pitied her so she offered him a choice. "I won't pity your situation if you don't pity mine." She said.

He looked at her, and raised his eyebrows. "Deal."

They shook hands and Katie yawned. "I have a test tomorrow, so I need sleep. You can stay here if you want." She added hesitantly.

"You're inviting me to stay the night in your bed?" he smirked suggestively.

"Yeah, but we sleep feet to head with a pillow between us. Or you sleep on the floor."

"I'll just read more of your mom's diary then leave, it should be safe by then." He said, annoyed.

Katie crawled under the covers with her clothes on and turned the way she usually slept, which happened to be facing Damon. "Shut the light off when your done." She said, closing her eyes and falling asleep.


End file.
